If I could picture my dream classroom and dream lesson plans, each and every day would incorporate Project Based Learning. PBL uses everything a science classroom needs to be successful: collaboration, inquiry, student-centered, constructivist, and realistic. Unfortunately, I think standardized tests diminish the use of PBL in the classroom because of limited time and limited resources. I think teachers also carry this fear with PBL in that using this type of teaching strategy can hurt their CRCT or EOCT test scores.
Overall, my main mission after reading this weeks articles is to try and find ways to incorporate appropriate uses of PBL in my lesson plans. There's no arguing that PBL is one of the most effective ways to engage your students and get them learning at deeper levels than traditional teaching would. To me, its about finding that balance. A balance of giving the students what they need to do well on a test and also achieve long-lasting and effective student learning.
PBL would definitely be appropriate for a science classroom. I thought about the two lessons you shared earlier and see how you could build on those lessons using PBL. I agree that the demands placed upon teachers as a result of the standardized tests cause many teachers not to use PBL. However, I hope that we can work on developing lessons to assist teachers in incorporating PBL in a standardized test environment.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Sometimes as I read about PBL, it seems like a dream. We'd all like to be there ideally, however realistically we can't find a way to get there!
ReplyDeleteI think your approach is the most practical for the setting we're in now. Trying to meet both needs without letting either suffer. Honestly, if your students were producing wonderful projects and failing the EOCT, there would be issues.
Having the students apply their learning is the key. Knowing that it wasn't a waste of time. That can be accomplished with some very basic PBL and we can continue to move forward with more challenging aspects if the culture in education changes.
Enjoyed your comments!
Tami definitely hit the mark...
ReplyDeleteIn a perfect world, we wouldn't have the tests. But we do. And in all honesty, the research does show that implementing PBL and other constructivist type instruction has very high success rates (much higher than other traditional instructional practices). I think the issue is that we (educators) are just scared to do it. Because it is more work. And in all honesty, some teachers are lazy. Over the years, I worked with a lot of great teachers. But I also worked with a lot of folks who were teachers because they got the summers off and made decent money for small-town life. Being an educator, saying what I just did, makes me a traitor. But nothing is ever going to change unless we tell the truth. Traditional instruction is easier and takes less time and thought to implement. Some people don't want to change.
I guess what I am saying is that it is a paradigm shift... and if younger folks don't embrace it and meet it head on with no fear, then it will never change because right now, principals and administrators are in a bind- they need for their schools to improve, but they can't find teachers with the courage to do it.
Good luck... Sorry if I got on my soapbox on your blog. :)
Jordan is stepping on some toes! But she's right. Too many teacher will take the easy way out because it IS so much easier. It's also scary to break out of the mold that we've created for ourselves in American education by spoon-feeding students the information that we want them to have. There is no question about it...PBL and constructivism are infinitely more effective than traditional teaching methods. Sadly, American education also denies most teachers the time and resources to explore these new methods by demanding more and more from our students without supplying more resources. I wish there were an easy answer to this dilemma.
ReplyDeleteChanMin: Lara, I toally agree with you in that "a balance" is what makes a classroom is succesful. As long as an ideal classroom has to called as a "dream" classroom, it is important that a teacher cares about students' test scores as well. But we are free to dream more than we can afford so we dream and learn more about it. Who knows.. we see a day without standardized test any longer. haha..
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